Retail Sector Reaches for a Silver Lining

Brick-and-mortar retail is getting hammered by a barrage of negative news related to bankruptcies, store closings, slipping sales and retailer restructuring. Yet not everything in the retail sector is shrouded in gloom and doom. Cushman & Wakefield’s Garrick Brown recently highlighted the challenges and opportunities ahead for the retail sector in his latest webinar, Retail Armageddon? Not So Fast...

A perfect storm

The retail sector is battling a perfect storm stemming from rising competition from e-commerce, shifts in consumer behavior that is driving steep discounting, and the struggle to get millennials to spend more money on “stuff” rather than just food, beverages and entertainment. Those challenges are compounded by a U.S. retail market that is very clearly over-stored, says Brown, a vice president and Head of Research, Americas for Cushman & Wakefield.

Brown outlined a number of data points that, at a glance, certainly would seem to support a bleak outlook for retailers and landlords. Chief among them are:

Estimates for more store closings ahead in 2017 that range from 5,000 on the low end to as many as 8,600 on the high side.

Rising e-commerce sales that are grabbing a bigger slice of the overall retail pie. In particular, general merchandise, apparel, furniture and other goods (GAFO) now see more than 20% of purchases being made online.

The U.S. is saddled with a surplus supply of retail space. Based on super regional malls alone (the easiest data set to track across countries) the U.S. was home to 22.9 square feet of GLA per capita, well ahead of peers such as Canada at 13.1 and Australia at 6.4 square feet per capita.

Green Street is predicting that department stores need to close another 30% of stores to get back to productivity levels enjoyed in 2006.

Now for that silver lining

“The challenges that we are facing this year are really coming from a few key sectors – apparel, department stores, office supplies,” says Brown. As a result, the majority of store closings have been highly concentrated in malls and lifestyle centers, and to a lesser degree, power centers. That will likely mean a bigger shake-out ahead as tenants gravitate to top-performing malls and vacancies grow in lower quality B and C properties.

However, it also is important to point out that there are plenty of malls that are surviving and thriving. For example, Bal Harbour Shops in Bal Harbour, Fla. is the top producing mall in the country with a reported $3,185 sales per square foot, according to data from Cushman & Wakefield and Green Street Advisors.

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Research, Green Street Advisors

Neighborhood and community centers also are proving to be relatively immune from the store closings. In addition, value-priced retail concepts are a hit with today’s more price-conscious shoppers. Even Macy’s, which to date has announced plans to close 100 stores, is testing its off-price Macy’s Backstage, notes Brown. Macy’s could potentially locate Macy’s Backstage within existing stores, closed locations or pursue new real estate opportunities, he adds.

The retail sector is by no means “sunshine and lollipops”, says Brown. But is it on the verge of an apocalypse, Armageddon or end of the world? Absolutely not, he says. The retail industry is in the throes of a radical shift. The market saw a similar transformation with the rise of malls and flight to the suburbs back in the 1960s and 1970s. One of the key differences with the changes occurring now is the rapid pace that appears to be amped up on “steroids, crack or Amazon juice”, says Brown. Both retailers and retail property owners will need to adapt and innovate in the new retail environment that has “no room for mediocrity,” he adds.

VTS is the leasing and asset management platform for commercial real estate, enabling the world’s top landlords and brokers to increase revenue, improve productivity and reduce risk across their portfolios. In November 2016, VTS and Hightower merged, bringing owners, investors and brokers from around the globe together on one platform. With over 5 billion square feet under management, VTS is the driving force behind the industry’s shift toward real-time data. For more information, visit VTS.com.

DNA of #CRE Survey

It is with bubbling excitement and fanfare that we are thrilled to announce the 4th anniversary (OMG 4 years have gone by!) of the amazing collaboration between Buildout and theBrokerList to produce the 2018 #DNAofCRE Survey. Remember, we are saying 2018 because we are asking you to download your brain and tell us what you did last year!

485 Respondents for DNA of #CRE Survey! Yes, you heard right, almost 500 commercial real estate professionals contributed to the 2017 DNA of #CRE Survey this year! That is an increase of 60% over last year! This year was so special because we had so much enthusiasm as a result of this being our 3rd year. […]

Just an Idea The idea of the DNA of #CRE survey began as a collaboration between Buildout and theBrokerList teams. We all wanted to know more about the people who make up the commercial real estate brokerage industry because it has been such a hard to understand facet of real estate. Generally people think of […]

Yes, it is true, we completed the first, official tabulation of the 2015 DNA of #CRE Survey! Please review and digest this historic attempt to obtain the actual DNA of the commercial real estate brokerage industry. Huge thanks to the team at Buildout for the amazing collaboration. It was our first one, so we are […]